Zen Arcade

Zen Arcade
Studio album by
Hüsker Dü
ReleasedJuly 3, 1984
RecordedOctober 1983 at Total Access Recording in Redondo Beach, California
Genre
Length70:09
LabelSST (027)
ProducerHüsker Dü, Spot
Hüsker Dü chronology
Metal Circus
(1983) 		Zen Arcade
(1984) 		New Day Rising
(1985)

Zen Arcade is the second studio album by American punk rock band Hüsker Dü, released in July 1984 on SST Records. Originally released as a double album on two vinyl LPs, Zen Arcade tells the story of a young boy who runs away from an unfulfilling home life, only to find the world outside is even worse.[7] Zen Arcade and subsequent Hüsker Dü albums were instrumental in the creation of the alternative rock genre,[8][9] and it is considered by some to be one of the greatest rock albums of all time.[10][11][12]

  1. ^ "50 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time". Revolver. 24 May 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  2. ^ "10 ESSENTIAL HARDCORE PUNK ALBUMS". treblezine.com. April 18, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Cooper, Ryan (March 26, 2019). "Punk's Most Influential Albums". LiveAbout.com. Retrieved 19 April 2022. 1984's Zen Arcade, while still predominantly a hardcore record, began exploring other sounds, including jazz, psychedelia, acoustic folk and pop -– all sounds Mould still explores today.
  4. ^ "Best Psychedelic Albums: 30 Mind-Expanding Records". 19 August 2021.
  5. ^ Pitchfork Staff (September 10, 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2023. ...Zen Arcade was one large step for the Minnesota trio and an even larger one for then-nascent indie rock.
  6. ^ Greene, Doyle (March 10, 2014). The Rock Cover Song: Culture, History, Politics. McFarland & Company. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0-7864-7809-5.
  7. ^ Azerrad (2001), p. 181.
  8. ^ Bray, Ryan (July 26, 2014). "Two Bands, Two Records, and the Beginning of Alternative Rock". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  9. ^ Mendelsohn, Jason; Klinger, Eric (February 27, 2015). "Counterbalance: Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade". PopMatters. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "100 Best Albums of the Eighties". Rolling Stone. November 16, 1989. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  11. ^ O'Hagan, Nathan (July 28, 2016). "Spotlight Special: Hüsker Dü - 'Zen Arcade'". Clash. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  12. ^ Smith, Patrick (July 19, 2014). "Now and Zen: The greatest album of them all, Hüsker Dü's 'Zen Arcade,' turns 30". KCMP. Retrieved October 12, 2019.